Upper Mustang Trekking April 2019 - I recently completed a most startling trek along with a friend to the restricted Upper Mustang Region of Nepal in April with the Sherpa Expedition and Trekking. This was my second trek with Sherpa Expedition and Trekking to the Upper Mustang region. I have discovered that both my trips were well organized by Sherpa Expedition Team and everything was done very efficiently and wonderfully. On my latest trek, I was in touch with Sherpa Expedition and Trekking and Ram via email gave every detail about the trek. I was seeking for a trek that was different from my previous trek. Therefore, I decided to trek to the area on the east side of the Kali Gandaki River. All my queries were resolved via the emails within a short time. He also gave me a customized itinerary and quoted a price. I accepted his proposed program as it met all our requirements in a reasonable price. For Upper Mustang Trek, a guide was must and Sherpa Expedition Team provided professional guides as well as a porter for two of us. The guide was Santa, a very admirable guide. He was much familiar with the areas that we strolled and looked after us very well. His main concern was our safety and wellbeing. The porter was Vishnu; he too was wonderful and strong. We enjoyed the company of both the porter and guide. I hope that someday, I will trek to Nepal again and definitely I would book and trek with Sherpa Expedition and Trekking. I would highly suggest that anyone planning for visiting Nepal for a trek must contact them. Thanks again Sherpa Expedition and Trekking Team!

From Dream to Disaster: The Annapurna Trek with a completely catastrophic Guide - We booked the 15-day Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake Trek and embarked on our journey at the end of April 2024. While the natural beauty of Nepal was breathtaking, our experience with the tour guide, Kaylan, was deeply disappointing and overshadowed what could have been a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Our group consisted of just four people: my partner and I, along with two friends from the U.S. Despite the small group size, Kaylan made no effort to provide us with any guidance, information, or support throughout the trek. From the very start, it became clear that Kaylan had extremely poor English skills and was unable to communicate with us effectively. He barely understood 99% of what we said and, as a result, couldn’t provide any of the insights we had hoped for about the country, its culture, people, traditions, temples, or religious beliefs. One of the main reasons we booked a guided tour instead of trekking on our own was to gain a deeper understanding of the region from a local expert. However, Kaylan completely failed to fulfill this role. Throughout the entire trek, he walked ahead of us at his own pace, paying no attention to our group or ensuring that we were on the correct path. Despite being a fit and capable group, we were left behind with no idea of the route, as he offered no direction or guidance. It was, without a doubt, the worst guide experience I’ve ever had. I was eager to learn about the local culture, the history of the Annapurna region, and the people who live there, but Kaylan was unable to communicate with us or provide any meaningful information. His lack of interest in engaging with us or answering questions was incredibly frustrating, and his attitude was downright rude and unprofessional. The worst part came when one of our friends fell ill during the trek. Kaylan was of no help whatsoever. His inability to assist us in such a critical situation was not just disappointing—it was dangerous and irresponsible. We were left to manage the situation on our own, which could have had serious consequences. To make matters even worse, towards the end of the trek, Kaylan tried to charge us for a pick-up service despite the fact that our booking clearly stated that transportation costs were included. This felt like an outright attempt to take advantage of us, adding insult to injury after an already disappointing experience. We were left feeling frustrated and misled, as this additional charge was never communicated beforehand, and only further highlighted the unprofessionalism of the guide. The pinnacle of this disastrous experience occurred at the end of the trek. Kaylan, in a shocking display of negligence, tried to leave us on our own to find a bus back to Kathmandu—a grueling 12-hour journey. It was only after we reached out to the office manager, Ram, that we were able to get some assistance. Ram was friendly and sympathetic, but despite his kindness, he couldn’t offer us any compensation for the horrible service we received. Words cannot express how utterly disappointed we are. We traveled all the way from Europe to fulfill a dream of trekking in Nepal, expecting an enriching experience with a knowledgeable local guide. Instead, we were left feeling like we could have done the entire trek on our own—without the added expense or frustration of dealing with an incompetent guide. To be fair, the two porters (Leila & ?) on our trek were wonderful. They tried their best to give us information when they could and were helpful in letting us know when we needed to keep moving. We appreciated their efforts, but unfortunately, their kindness couldn’t make up for the complete failure of our guide to perform even the most basic duties. We were left feeling let down, frustrated, and, most importantly, unsafe at times due to Kaylan’s incompetence. This was not the enriching experience we had hoped for, and we are left with nothing but disappointment.